The Devil's Melody
by LordLuminous
Summary: After Stefan and Katherine's death, Cade delegates the rule of Hell to Caroline. Caroline Standalone Oneshot, 8x16 Canon Divergence.


**Hey, this is a oneshot. I hope you like it. It was a plot bunny that I kept imagining in my head.**

 **Summary: After Stefan and Katherine's death, Cade delegates the rule of Hell to Caroline. Caroline Standalone Oneshot, 8x16 Canon Divergence.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights go to L. J. Smith, Julie Plec and the show-runners.**

Caroline Forbes was in tears.

She was leaving Mystic Falls, God knows if Stefan got her message, if he or Damon were safe. She couldn't think. Alaric and her were driving out of Mystic Falls, with the twins in the back. She wanted, now more than ever, for everything to be okay.

Caroline covered her mouth, trying to hold her sobs in while the girls were sleeping in the back. Alaric was solemn. His priorities were his and Caroline's girls. Nevertheless, he could feel for her situation.

It happened suddenly.

Cade appeared, standing in the middle of the road. Alaric pressed the breaks as quickly as he could. Cade was unflinching. He stared directly at Caroline.

"Cade..." Caroline whispered.

"What the hell?" Alaric swore out.

Cade raised his hand out toward Caroline, as if trying to pull her, he muttered something. Caroline found herself standing outside of the car, right in front of him, as though she was teleported right in front of him.

"Caroline? CAROLINE!" Alaric cried out, trying to open the door, waking the girls from their slumber. The car door wouldn't budge.

Cade stared into Caroline. "Don't be afraid. I haven't come here to kill you."

"How are you here? You died." Caroline whimpered, as if trying to cover herself.

"Yes, I have died. However, something has changed. I regret to inform you that, along with Katherine, Stefan Salvatore has perished." Cade explained.

"Stefan..." A tear rolls down Caroline's cheek. Stefan's dead. He's gone. Her husband, her lover, was gone. Did he get her message? Did he die with love in his heart? Caroline's heart ached.

"Bonnie Bennett has saved your town. She's pushed the Hellfire back into Hell, thus destroying all the damned souls in Hell. With that, there is nothing left in Hell." Cade furthered, not exactly showing sympathy for Caroline's tears.

Caroline swallowed. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because, Hell is left without a ruler, it's empty. Stefan, who died killing Katherine, would have succeeded the throne. However, he has been blessed with Peace. With no one in Hell, no one can actually rule it to preserve it." Cade explained.

"Cade, what are you getting at?" Caroline spit out, wanting him to be a little more clear.

"Congratulation. You, Caroline Forbes, are the next ruler of Hell." Cade smiled, as if he handed her a trophy.

"What? How?" Caroline gawked. Seriously, now she's the Queen of Hell? Was this a joke? She looked to Alaric in the car, he couldn't hear them, but he had no idea what was going on.

"You are Stefan's wife. In that respect, Nature has deemed that you shall inherit and rule Hell." Cade shrugged as he explained the logistics.

"I don't get it." Caroline shook her head, still processing everything. How did this all just get dumped on her. "How come Hell wasn't destroyed along with the souls in it?"

"That's simple. When I had created Hell, which was originally known as Damnation, Nature preserved it. That way it couldn't be destroyed. It became part of the Nature's balance. If there is Peace, then there shall be Damnation." Cade explained further. Caroline was stunned. She was still trying to process everything else.

"Now I apologize, but this will be painful. If you are going to rule Hell, you'll need to change." And in an instant, Cade had grabbed Caroline's head, holding her in place. Cade closed his eyes and Caroline began to shake violently. Her eyes rolled back as they slowly shut.

"Caroline!" Alaric shouted from the car, still trying to open the door.

"Mommy!" Lizzie and Josie cries out, watching Caroline shake.

As Cade disappeared into thin air, Caroline collapsed onto the road. She was, now, forever changed. She was officially The Devil. The new Ruler of Hell.

 **TDM**

The light filtered through a room of the Salvatore Boarding House. Alaric, Damon, Matt, and Bonnie surrounded her. It was the morning after the battle with Katherine. Caroline's eyes slowly opened. She let out a groan, trying to get up. Yesterday felt like a bad dream, except it wasn't.

Caroline looked around the room. She saw her friends. She didn't see Lizzie or Josie. She frowned.

"Caroline, hey, how are you feeling?" Caroline looked to Bonnie, who was sitting on her bed.

"I feel like died and came back, but I'll live I guess." Caroline mumbled, annoyed. It's like she was experiencing her worst hangover to date. Caroline was thoroughly unimpressed with her situation.

"Well, you don't seem deranged or anything. Alaric told us about your run-in with Cade. What the hell did he do to you? And more importantly, what the hell did he want?" Damon inquired to Caroline, noticing Alaric shift uncomfortably. Caroline noticed Damon was a bit grouchy. She could hear a heartbeat coming from him. She almost gasped. Was Damon human?

"I'm not even sure how to explain that without wondering if I have become deranged." Caroline laughed morbidly at herself, answering Damon.

"Try us." Matt reassured her with a smile.

Caroline sighed, looking down at her knees before she looked back up at her friends. "Well, according to Cade's ghost, I'm the new Queen of Hell."

 **The End**

 **Everything else happened the same way. Elena wakes up. Damon and Elena are reunited, they grow old together and die. Bonnie is travelling the world. Alaric and Caroline open up the Salvatore Boarding School For The Young and Gifted. Matt gets his bench. Caroline gets Klaus's cheque and letter. Stefan finds Peace and all is right with the world.**

 **Sorry if the oneshot doesn't make sense or isn't canonically possible. I wasn't going for a logical ending.**

 **I could spin this into a better TO Season 5 CD-AU, but I honestly don't think anyone would care and I'm trying to write Chapter 2 of Kindred Spirits, a Klaroline Story that I thought of.**

 **I hope you guys like this concept. I wish this happened, mostly because I so badly want Caroline to super strong and resilient. I also don't mind Mega-Immortal!Caroline. I hope her character never dies. Klaroline should be together for the rest of eternity.**


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